3 Residential Developments OK'd By Loudoun Supervisors

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors took action to approve three new residential developments Tuesday — Arcola Farms, Tillett's View and Defender Drive.

Arcola Farms

Supervisors voted 7-1-1 on the Arcola Farms single-family house development, with Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) opposed and Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) not present.

Arcola Farms will be a development of 307 single-family detached homes on 80.28 acres south of Ryan Road and north of Evergreen Mills Road near Brambleton. About 12.5 percent of the homes — 39 — would be for-rent affordable housing units, with the affordable housing covenants lasting at least 75 years. The density of the development would be about 3.82 dwelling units per acre.

"The surrounding properties to the east and north of the development display a similar density and site design it includes connectivity to the adjacent Brambeton community, and the Brambleton Community Association has agreed to annex the property," said Supervisor Laura TeKrony (D-Little River). "There is significant infrastructure with two adjacent major collector roads, Ryan Road and Evergreen Mills Road, and the applicant is proposing to widen Ryan Road to four lanes, which will significantly enhance the flow and safety of traffic for Brambleton and the surrounding community."

Ashburn District Supervisor Mike Turner noted county staff recommended denial because the county hasn't phased in a transition area between rural land and suburban developments, and the proposal was like skipping phase one to start phase two. However, Turner called the proposal "a really good application."

Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg), the lone opposed vote, noted the impact of development on the transition area and school costs.

"This is another application that I think eats away at the transition policy area. I think we're just seeing application after application that is doing that," said Umstattd. "We haven't really had a full discussion of whether that's what we really want to see is the end of the transition policy area and its conversion to higher-density housing."

Tillett's View

Tillett's View was approved by the board 5-4 with Umstattd, Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling), Letourneau, and TeKrony opposing. The proposal east of Belmont Ridge Road at Waxpool Road in the Ashburn area called for 101 single-family detached and 199 single-family attached units with a density of 6.05 dwelling units per acre.

Supervisor Sylvia Glass (D-Broad Run) pointed to the housing crisis and improvements in the application through negotiations as reasons for supporting the development.

"This application started at 457 units with no transition between existing neighborhoods and at over 9 units per acre the density I believe was high," said Glass. "However, thanks to the input from the nearby communities the community has been reduced by 33 percent to 300 units which would be 6 units per acre.

Glass said the development provided a proper transition in the existing neighborhood with the single-family homes near existing single-family homes and the townhouses next to the road and a school. She believes residents' transportation concerns can be mitigated by a new sidewalk on Waxpool Road, traffic signal and traffic-calming studies. On school capacity, she said while Briar Woods High School is experiencing overcrowding, Rock Ridge, Stone Bridge and Broad Run High Schools are expected to be under capacity in coming years.

Umstattd said people in the neighborhood have been vocal about opposing the development.

"The neighbors have made very powerful arguments about the lack of infrastructure to handle the kind of traffic and school impacts that this development is going to impose upon them," said Umstattd.

Letourneau, although not supporting the proposal, pointed to declining enrollment at Loudoun County Public Schools and the trends in settled developments.

"There's a big wave when these developments are new and people move in and then those kids get through the system," said Letourneau. "People aren't moving out fast enough and being replaced with kids with younger students to keep up that same heavy enrollment so there is a gradual decline in enrollment that occurs in settled communities."

Defender Drive

The Defender Drive proposal was approved by the board 8-1 with Umstattd opposed due to concerns on school costs from development. The development on 13.8 acres off Defender Drive in South Riding will provide 161 single-family attached homes with 21 being affordable housing units. The proposal has a proffer giving flexibility on funds for the Route 50 and South Riding Boulevard interchange should the county not pursue the project.

Letourneau noted not everyone in the community was supportive of the residential proposal as opposed to a by-right alternative. However, he believes residents closest to the development will appreciate that it will be residential.

"This is the application that could be by-right data center. I think the board has been motivated to go the residential route instead," said Letourneau. "I worked quite a bit with the applicant for a long period on this we came to agreement on the overall density and on design which I think is appropriate for what's around it."

Two other supervisors praised Letourneau for advancing the residential proposal that could have been a by-right data center.

"This may be only the second time since I've been on this board that we've had data center by-right land that went to residential, so I'll commend the supervisor for working really hard on this," said Supervisor Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian).